The Interfaith Centre

As a SAIT alumnus, Art enjoyed a life of adventure in the air ambulance industry — bringing help and hope to some critical scenarios over the years.

His intense career experiences stirred in him difficult questions of life and death, meaning and purpose. Art says his journey has led him through a "theology of grace" into deeper spirituality, community and conviction.

What's a chaplain?

Oooo, great question. I feel it means different things to people. Some would look to us as pastors or priests with whom they can find like-minded community and spiritual guidance. Others are looking for a safe place to ask questions and gain perspective. Essentially, I guess we’re sounding boards — people who can speak encouragement and offer perspective.

Ask me about...

Anything! I absolutely love: hockey (sports in general, but come on, I'm Canadian), coffee (fresh, hand-ground in my office or in my "second office", The Odyssey), technology (ask me about my watch), family (I'm blessed with the best wife and son in the history of the world), spirituality (meaning and purpose — for me, the answers are nestled deep in my own faith journey), food and culture, the list goes on.

What does interfaith mean to me?

To me, interfaith is about not merely tolerating different faiths or non-faith but finding ways to celebrate each other while recognizing the differences.

Contact

art.kung@sait.ca
403.542.0414
Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm

What's a chaplain?

I'm still figuring that out! Although I’ve been a priest for seven years and have always remained connected with university students and young adults, I’m still learning about the best way to serve people at this stage of their life on and off-campus.

Ask me about...

Food and climbing. I have a very large Italian family on my mother's side, so I basically grew up in a kitchen. In the last five years, I have discovered rock climbing and am a proud member of the Calgary Climbing Centre community.

What does interfaith mean to me?

The freedom to explore the meaning of life and who (if anyone) decided we should be here is the most enriching experience of being human. Faith traditions give us a way to consider these important topics, and when doing so side by side we learn to look and listen together.

Contact

cristino.bouvette@sait.ca
403.463.2133
Please contact to make an appointment
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Born and raised in Calgary, Margaret completed her post-secondary at U of A and Augustana University and her MDiv. In Saskatoon. Ordained into the Lutheran church, she serves not only as chaplain, but also a pastor of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church downtown. Although she’s not an athlete herself, she loves watching her children play sports and seeing them excel with gifts so differently from her own. Margaret loves the arts, especially painting, ceramics, stained glass, jewelry, sculpture, and architecture.

What is a Chaplain?

Depends on who you talk to... For me, it’s a person trained to provide Spiritual Care for people in the institution you work for. At SAIT, this would include students, staff, faculty, and alumni of SAIT. But the truth of the matter is that my position is funded by my faith community, and my faith community would expand the demographic to include the wider community and beyond. So, the question might be, what is Spiritual Care? For me, spiritual care is providing care and support for an individual’s sense of meaning, and purpose through either their relationship to the divine (God) and the World. This includes others through community, with ourselves, and with creation (nature). Sometimes we do this through rituals, being in community with others, introspection, and experiencing beauty and joy. I can’t say I have any answers, but certainly can provide a listening ear and resources to support others who are wanting to explore, or continue in their spiritual life.

Ask me about...

Anything… But I probably won’t have much to tell you because I prefer to listen. I love listening to the story of others and hearing what God is up to in the lives of others. But I can probably talk your ear off about my beloved pet Sam, a bearded dragon who went missing for 3 weeks this summer and survived our suburban neighborhood filled with magpies, cats, and hawks!

What does interfaith mean to me?

It’s the intentional conversation, understanding and work different faith groups do to manifest the goodness of one another and the world. This goes beyond just tolerating one another, but acknowledging the need and value of the different traditions, understandings and faiths that divide us so we no longer ‘other’ one another. In seeing and valuing the beauty of another, we can also see and value the beauty of our own traditions more fully.

Contact

margaret.propp@sait.ca
403.471.9895
Fridays, 2 – 5 pm

I came from Hong Kong and received my high school, university and Seminary education in Saskatchewan. Later, I also completed my graduate studies at the University of Alberta. I was ordained by the Rhenish Church (Lutheran Denomination) Hong Kong Synod and served as parish pastor and the school principal in Hong Kong. In 1990, I was accepted into the Clergy Roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and served as the parish pastor with the New Life Lutheran Church in Edmonton. In 2007, I was appointed by the Bishop of Alberta Synod, ELCIC, as the Mission Developer in the Northwest area of Calgary and later served as the parish pastor of the Mission Church — Abundant Life Lutheran Church in Calgary. In August 2022, the Lutheran Care Ministry was set up under the auspices of the Alberta Synod ELCIC to assist international students and their families from Hong Kong. My wife Amy is a schoolteacher, and my daughter Debbie works with an accounting firm.

"My name is Blessing Grace Polinar. I’m a second-year student at SAIT taking up Health Information Management. I was born and raised in the Philippines but came to Canada with my family directly from Saudi Arabia, where I worked as an HIM staff for seven years. I am a reforming Christian and a work in progress.

My daily activities are more often than not inspired by and revolve around my husband and our daughter Alpha, but I believe a break in this routine can be good for me. Being a part of Interfaith can be a healthy disruption of my chores, errands, and other work as I will get over myself, getting out there and connecting with new people.

As a student leader for the Interfaith Centre at SAIT, I look forward to learning to bridge gaps between religious groups on a more personal level. After all, the school environment offers many young people their first (and possibly only) opportunity to interact meaningfully with people from various socioeconomic, racial, and religious backgrounds and better understand their beliefs and worldviews. Graduates then can enter the real world prepared to interact productively with others by providing students, me included, with the abilities to cross divides."

"Hello there! I’m Jameela Castillo, but you can call me “Jam” for short. I am an international student from the Philippines pursuing a Business Administration Diploma, majoring in Human Resources. I’m a sales and marketing enthusiast and have always dreamed of having my own coffee shop business. Ironically, I don’t drink coffee since it gives me heart palpitations, but I like the feeling of being in a cozy place where I can stay long while chitchatting and having some good drinks with friends or sometimes even just being alone, reading books, writing, or doing some planning and paper works on my laptop.

I’m now in my second year at SAIT and have been actively volunteering in the student association, joining student clubs, and participating in school events. I’m interested in learning new things and meeting people with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. I’m adventurous and enjoy outdoor activities, including swimming, hiking, camping and many more.

As I take the lead in the Interfaith Centre, I would love to be in service to my fellow SAIT students, fellow student leaders and the chaplain as well. I’m looking forward to meeting you and getting to know more of you and your viewpoints. I’m very excited to welcome you to the Interfaith Centre and be part of your school and faith journey."

"Hey! I’m Keegan! I was born in Calgary and moved to Okotoks, and I have lived there the rest of my life! I go to SAIT for Software Development and have been programming since I was a kid. I’m very friendly and would love to talk about anything.

My interests are skateboarding, guitar, programming, music and plants. I love being outside, either camping or hiking and have started looking for some areas to rock climb.

Being at the Interfaith Centre, I would love to get to know more about all types of cultures and have conversations to learn more about different faiths. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!"

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